National

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

World

Survivors of Sunday's deadly attack on a packed Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria described scenes of chaos and horror as gunmen began shooting at worshippers who had gathered for mass celebrating the feast of Pentecost. 

State of play: At least 50 people, including children, were killed in the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo, according to local and international media reports, citing witnesses, hospital staff and a lawmaker. Police have not released an official death toll. Several others were injured. 

The big picture: No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and the motive remains unclear. 

Southwestern Nigeria, including Ondo state where Owa is located, has not suffered from the violence over religion seen in states in the northeast, where Islamist extremist groups, including Boko Haram, have waged a bloody insurgency for years, per Reuters. 

Authorities are currently searching for the attackers, who police said entered the church carrying guns and explosives and began firing on worshippers inside and outside of the church. 

"Some of the gunmen disguised as congregants, while other armed men who had positioned themselves around the church premises from different directions, fired into the church," national police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi said in a statement Monday. Three unexploded improvised explosive devices and AK-47 ammunition shells were found, according to police. 

The attackers fled the scene after stealing a car, which has since been recovered, Adejobi said. 

What they're saying: "Immediately they entered and started firing everywhere, so many people," Alex Michael, who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg, told Reuters. 

A 20-year-old survivor named Andrew told Al Jazeera he ran to his mother and "held her by the hands and [was] screaming, ‘Keep your head down!’” 

“Between the next 15 to 20 minutes, the gunshots just would not stop. It just kept going and going," he added. “[She] was saying her last prayer and I was just taking deep breaths, getting ready for my own shot." 

Steven Omotayo, who lives nearby and rushed to the scene when he heard gunshots, told AP that the attackers were "just shooting." 

"If they see anyone trying to escape or stand up, they will just shoot the person,” he said. “Everybody standing was bombarded with bullets.”

Pope Francis and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari were among those who expressed outrage after the attack. 

“No matter what, this country shall never give in to evil and wicked people, and darkness will never overcome light. Nigeria will eventually win,” Buhari said in a statement late Sunday. 

“Pope Francis prays for the victims and the country, painfully affected at a time of celebration, and entrusts them both to the Lord so that he may send his spirit to console them," a statement issued by the Vatican on Sunday read. 

Nigeria church attack witnesses say worshippers were "bombarded with bullets"

At least 50 people, including children, were killed in the attack, according to media reports.

- Ondo State governor Rotimi Akeredolu (3rd L) points to blood the stained floor after an attack by gunmen at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo town,

Officials point to the blood-stained floor after an attack by gunmen at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo town. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

Nigeria

Russia's Black Sea blockade is preventing most exports from Ukraine and exacerbating a food crisis in the developing world, particularly in Africa.

Driving the news: Secretary of State Tony Blinken accused Russia on Monday of "blackmail" and "exporting starvation and suffering." He claimed Moscow was blocking Ukrainian grain exports and hoarding its own domestic supply in order to generate backlash against Western sanctions.

Senegalese President Macky Sall, the current chairman of the African Union, took a different tone on Friday when visiting Putin, whom he addressed as "my friend Vladimir."

Sall said he received assurances that Russia will "facilitate the export of Ukrainian cereals." He also noted that Western sanctions on Russia has "worsened the situation" by making it harder to buy Russian wheat and fertilizers.

Between the lines: Western leaders see the food crisis as one more reason to condemn Putin. But many African leaders, like Sall and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, are attempting to appeal to him.

African countries are now facing "a witches brew of financial, fuel and food crises" due to drought, the pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine, says Gyude Moore, a fellow at the Center for Global Development and former government minister for Liberia.

Yes, but: "Since it appears like stifling global grain supplies is a part of Russia's response to the sanctions, it isn't clear that the Africans have enough leverage to sway the Russians from the path they're on," Moore says.

Breaking it down: Last year, Ukraine supplied 11% of the world's wheat exports, 12% of corn exports and 43% of sunflower oil exports, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, almost entirely via the Black Sea ports that are now blocked.

Sending grain westward by rail requires reconfiguring railcars at the border to fit a narrower gauge. Meanwhile trucking capacity is limited, and there have been long queues at border checkpoints and nearby ports.

Thus, millions of tons of grain are sitting in storage, and the backlog will likely grow much larger after the upcoming harvest — all at a time when East Africa is facing famine and food shortages are growing dire elsewhere.

The Kremlin has implied that if the sanctions are eased, it will be more willing to let Ukrainian exports through, leading to the "blackmail" claims.

The sanctions have also made it more difficult for Russia to export grain and, crucially, fertilizers, though those problems appear to be at least partially resolved, per Reuters.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Ukraine accuse Russia of expropriating grain from eastern Ukraine and exporting it for profit.

The U.S. last month warned 14 countries, most of them in Africa, that Russia could be shipping stolen grain their way, according to NYT.

Moore says the chances of African countries facing mass hunger turning away cheap grain are slim, particularly with the U.S. offering little in the way of aid. 

He notes that the U.S. scrambled to help Europe find alternatives to Russian gas, but it seems to be doing less to contain the fallout in Africa. Meanwhile, the other humanitarian crises befalling Africa are slipping down the global agenda.

The bottom line: The stolen grain underscores a larger tension in the global response to the invasion: Western leaders want countries to take a moral stand against Russia, but they have their own interests to consider.

Go deeper: Food protectionism is on the rise

Russia's blockade of Ukraine's grain deepens food crisis in Africa

Blinken accused Russia of "exporting starvation and suffering"

African Union head Macky Sall (left) visits Vladimir Putin in Sochi. Photo: Mikhail Klimentiyev/Sputnik via Getty

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russia

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson clung on to his job Monday after surviving a no-confidence vote sparked by members of his own party. 148 Conservative MPs voted to remove him, short of the 180 required for a majority.

Why it matters: Johnson was found to have broken the law by attending several social gatherings during the U.K.'s strict COVID-19 lockdown. He'll be further weakened by the revelation that so many within his own party want him gone. Still, party rules dictate that he cannot face another confidence vote for a year.

Yes, but: Previous Tory prime ministers, most recently Theresa May in 2018, have failed to keep their jobs for long after facing a confidence vote.

Margaret Thatcher also resigned in 1990 not long after surviving a leadership challenge by a similar margin.

Johnson's standing with the public has also fallen sharply. His approval rating is down to 29% and he was booed on Friday while attending celebrations for the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.

Under party rules, 15% of Conservative MPs must express disapproval of the party leader to spark a vote — a threshold that was reached on Monday — and a majority must vote to remove them. 

What to watch: In the immediate aftermath of the vote, a number of politicians and pundits began to predict Johnson's political demise, though he has shown a remarkable resilience to scandal in the past.

The very attributes that won Johnson a landslide victory in 2019 have now become his weaknesses, James Johnson, who worked as May's chief pollster in Downing Street, tells Axios.

"The strongman that voters liked, they now view as weak. The rare politician that they thought they could laugh along with is now seen to be laughing at them. It’s very difficult to see how Boris Johnson restores the trust of the people and his reputation regardless of the outcome of this confidence vote this evening," says Johnson, co-founder of polling firm JL Partners. 

Boris Johnson survives no-confidence vote over lockdown parties

He was found to have broken the law by attending lockdown parties.

Boris Johnson at Downing Street. Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty

Boris Johnson

Brexit

A federal judge on Monday signed off on a warrant allowing the Department of Justice to seize two U.S.-made aircraft owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Why it matters: It is yet another step by the U.S. and its allies to seize the assets of wealthy Russians with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The big picture: The U.S. imposed new sanctions against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine that included expanded bans on the "export, reexport, or in-country transfer of, among other things, aircraft and aircraft parts ... to or within Russia without a license," FBI agent Alan Fowler wrote in an affidavit filed to the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

The two jets belonging to Abramovich are a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and a Gulfstream G650ER.

Both aircraft were manufactured in the U.S. and require a special license to be flown from a foreign country into Russia.

"But no licenses were applied for or issued. Nor was any license exception available, including because the Boeing and the Gulfstream were each owned and/or controlled by a Russian national: Roman Abramovich," Fowler wrote.

The Gulfstream jet is believed to be currently in Russia, while the Dreamliner was flown to Russia in violation of regulations in March and is currently in Dubai.

Flashback: Abramovich was sanctioned by the U.K. in March in the wake of Russia's invasion.

In April, the English Channel tax haven of Jersey froze $7 billion of assets believed to belong to him.

DOJ moves to seize jets owned by Roman Abramovich

The move is yet another step by the U.S. to seize the assets of wealthy Russians with close ties to Vladimir Putin.

Roman Abramovich. Photo: Alexander Hassenstein  UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed Monday that he will not attend the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles this week, citing concerns over the exclusion of leaders from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Why it matters: It's a blow to President Biden, who is seeking to reassert U.S. influence in Latin America and the Caribbean, which have become more closely tied to China in recent years, Axios' Marina E. Franco reports.

The summit, which officially kicks off on Monday, is returning to the U.S. for the first time since it began in 1994. 

Squabbles over the guest list for weeks have overshadowed the summit's goal of fostering collaboration among the region. 

What he's saying: "There cannot be a summit if all countries are not invited,” López Obrador said at a press conference, adding that Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard will instead represent the country’s government at the event. 

“Or there can be one, but that is to continue with all politics of interventionism.”

By not inviting all American countries, Biden is "not respecting these countries’ sovereignty, their independence," López Obrador said. 

The big picture: Some other leaders, including Bolivian President Luis Arce and Honduran President Xiomara Castro, had previously threatened to reject Biden's invitation to the summit, citing the possibility of leaders from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela being excluded, Axios' Dave Lawler reports.

López Obrador proposed last month that "everyone be invited" to the summit in order to further "the unity of all America." 

U.S. officials have cited human rights concerns and lack of democracy for not inviting the leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, per Reuters. 

What to watch: López Obrador said he hopes to visit the White House in July to talk to Biden about the "integration" of all American countries, with the goal of forming something similar to the European Union. 

Go deeper: Summit of the Americas set to kick off as U.S. seeks to reassert influence

Mexico's president confirms he will skip the Summit of the Americas

"I am not attending the summit because not every American country is being invited," Andrés Manuel López Obrador said.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during his daily morning press conference in Mexico City on June 6, 2022.

Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador speaks during a daily morning press conference in Mexico City on June 6. Photo: Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images

Mexico

The United Kingdom announced on Monday that it would be joining the United States in providing long-range missiles to Ukraine.

The big picture: President Biden said last week that the U.S. would be providing Ukraine with more advanced rocket systems and munitions.

The Kremlin decried the move with Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening to strike new targets.

Driving the news: In a decision that was "coordinated closely" with the U.S., the U.K. will give Ukraine M270 Multiple Rocket Launch Systems, which can strike targets with pinpoint accuracy up to 80 km, or about 50 miles.

This comes in response to Ukrainian requests for longer range precision weapons to defend against Russian heavy artillery, according to the announcement.

"As Russia’s tactics change, so must our support to Ukraine," Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement. "These highly capable multiple-launch rocket systems will enable our Ukrainian friends to better protect themselves against the brutal use of long-range artillery, which Putin’s forces have used indiscriminately to flatten cities."

U.K. joins U.S. in providing long-range missiles to Ukraine

Ukraine has sought long-range precision weapons to defend against Russian heavy artillery.

People clean the debris from their destroyed house after a missile strike, which killed an old woman, in the city of Druzhkivka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas on June 5, 2022. Photo: ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. and South Korea on Monday launched eight missiles into the East Sea in response to a missile display by North Korea on Sunday. 

Driving the news: The military exercises included one U.S. Army missile and seven South Korean missiles that were fired from the northeast of South Korea into the East Sea, per United States Forces Korea.

"To demonstrate the ability of the combined US-ROK force to respond quickly to crisis events, U.S. Forces Korea and Republic of Korea militaries conducted a combined live-fire exercise," the joint forces said in a statement. 

The big picture: North Korea fired eight short-range missiles over 35 minutes from at least four locations on Sunday in the country's 18th round of missile tests this year, AP reports.

Sunday's launch is believed to be North Korea's most ballistic launches in one day, per AP. 

U.S. officials have recently warned that North Korea may be preparing to resume nuclear weapons tests.

Go deeper... U.S., South Korea to consider expanded military exercises

U.S. and South Korea launch missiles in response to North Korea

The military exercise included one U.S. Army missile and seven South Korean missiles.

A a missile is fired during a joint training between the United States and South Korea on June 6, 2022 in East Coast, South Korea

During a joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea on June 6, a missile is fired out over the East Sea. Photo: South Korean Defense Ministry/Dong-A Daily via Getty Images

South Korea

North Korea

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a vote of no confidence from his own party Monday night that could oust him from power.

Why it matters: Conservative Party lawmakers have grown increasingly frustrated with Johnson's personal scandals, especially his attendance at lockdown-breaking parties during the height of the COVID pandemic.

Johnson's "partygate" scandal led to national outrage and made him the first sitting prime minister found to have broken the law.

He has faced calls to resign since first denying and then later confirming and apologizing for attending a Downing Street garden party.

Driving the news: The vote was announced by Tory MP Graham Brady, who said in a televised statement early Monday, "The threshold of 15% of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the prime minister has been passed."

Johnson will now face a vote from all of its 359 lawmakers in the House of Commons.

Brady said the vote will take place in the House of Commons on Monday night and the results will be available soon after.

What they're saying: A Downing Street spokesperson called the vote "a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people's priorities," per Reuters.

"The PM welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs and will remind them that when they're united and focused on the issues that matter to voters there is no more formidable political force."

What's next: If Johnson loses, the Conservative Party will choose a new leader who will also become prime minister.

Johnson doesn't have an obvious successor, but speculation has centered around Jeremy Hunt, Johnson's former foreign secretary, and Liz Truss, the current foreign secretary.

 Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Boris Johnson faces no-confidence vote over lockdown parties

Johnson's "partygate" scandal led to a wave of national outrage and made him the first prime minister found to have broken the law.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a press conference in response to the publication of the Sue Gray report Into "Partygate" at Downing Street.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Photo: Leon Neal/WPA Pool/Getty Images

United Kingdom

Dozens were killed in Nigeria on Sunday after gunmen opened fire and detonated explosives at a church, according to the AP.

Driving the news: At least 50 are feared dead after the attack at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Nigeria, although authorities have not released an official death toll, the AP reported. The presiding priest was also abducted, according to the AP.

What they're saying: "I am deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent people of Owo, worshiping at the St. Francis Catholic Church," said Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo state, in a tweet. Owo is located in Ondo state.

"It is a black Sunday in Owo," he added. "Our hearts are heavy. Our peace and tranquility have been attacked by the enemies of the people. This is a personal loss, an attack on our dear state."

"We shall commit every available resource to hunt down these assailants and make them pay," Akeredolu said.

Details: Worshippers had gathered at the church to celebrate Pentecost Sunday, according to the AP.

Pope Francis said in a statement from the Vatican press office that he "prays for the victims and for the country, painfully attacked at a time of celebration, and he entrusts everyone to the Lord, that God might send His Spirit to console them."

Dozens killed in Nigeria church attack

Nigerian lawyers hold up the national flag as they assemble at the secretariat of the Nigerian Bar Association during a protest in Abuja on Jan. 28, 2019. Photo: Sodiq Adelakun/AFP via Getty Images

Schiff Face The Nation

President Biden shouldn't meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his upcoming trip to the Middle East, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

Driving the news: Biden told reporters on Friday that there is a "possibility" he could visit Saudi Arabia during his upcoming trip to the region.

A visit would likely entail a meeting with MBS, who U.S. intelligence has concluded is responsible for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi — an allegation Saudi officials reject.

What they're saying: "In my view, no," Schiff replied when asked by host Margaret Brennan whether Biden should visit Saudi Arabia and meet with MBS.

"I wouldn't go. I wouldn't shake his hand. This is someone who butchered an American resident, cut him up into pieces in the most terrible and pre-meditated way," added Schiff, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee.

"Until Saudi Arabia makes a radical change in terms of its human rights, I wouldn't want anything to do with him," he said, later adding that MBS "should be shunned."

Schiff acknowledged "the degree to which Saudi Arabia controls oil prices," noting that this constitutes a "compelling argument for us to wean ourselves off of a reliance on foreign oil and oil more globally, so we don't have despots and murderers calling the shots."

The bottom line: Schiff said he would like to see Saudi Arabia increase their oil production, make changes to its human rights record and hold those involved in the Khashoggi murder accountable before extending "that kind of dignity to Saudi Arabia or its leadership."

Democratic lawmaker says Biden shouldn't meet with MBS: "I wouldn't shake his hand"

"This is someone who butchered an American resident," said the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

Russian missiles struck Kyiv on Sunday for the first time since late April, destroying tanks donated from abroad, Reuters reported.

Driving the news: The strikes interrupted the sense of normality that had returned in Kyiv since Russian forces were forced out of the capital.

The strikes were carried out using "long-range air-launched missiles fired from heavy bombers as far away as the Caspian Sea," Reuters reported, underscoring the sophistication of Russia's weaponry.

The strikes also targeted railway facilities and other infrastructure in Kyiv, AP reported.

The big picture: Russian President Vladimir Putin warned against international weapons donations to Ukraine on Sunday, saying that if the U.S. were to provide longer-range missiles as planned, Russia would strike new targets in Ukraine.

What they're saying: "The Kremlin resorts to new insidious attacks. Today’s missile strikes at Kyiv have only 1 goal — kill as many Ukrainians as possible," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted in response to the strikes.

State of play: The strikes on Kyiv come as the battle in eastern Ukraine continued to rage. 

Last week, Russian forces entered Severodonetsk, the last remaining major city still under Ukrainian control in the Luhansk province of the Donbas.

Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack in recent days, recapturing roughly half of it, according to Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Gaidai, per Reuters.

Worth noting: The UK's defense ministry stated in an intelligence update Sunday that the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the past 24 hours had blunted the operational momentum Russia had gained up until then.

The Russian forces deployed in Severodonetsk are poorly equipped and trained separatist fighters, likely used in order to "limit casualties suffered by regular Russian forces."

Go deeper: 100 days that rocked the globe

Russian forces strike Kyiv for first time in weeks

The strikes came as the battle in eastern Ukraine continued to rage.

Smoke rises after several explosions hit the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on June 5. Photo: Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images

Russia will strike new targets if the United States sends long-range missiles to Ukraine, Vladimir Putin said on Sunday. 

State of play: President Biden in an op-ed in the New York Times on Tuesday announced the plan to send new advanced rocket systems, which he said would be used to ward off Russian advances in Ukraine but wouldn't be used to launch attacks on targets in Russia.

"If they are supplied, we will draw appropriate conclusions from this and use our own weapons, of which we have enough, in order to strike at those facilities we are not targeting yet," Putin said during a TV interview, which was broadcast on Sunday, according to Russian state media reports.

"We believe that the U.S. is deliberately pouring oil on the fire," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier in the week.

Go deeper: The first 100 days of war in Ukraine could be just the beginning

Putin threatens "new targets" if U.S. supplies long-range missiles to Ukraine

President Biden announced the plan to send new advanced rocket systems, but said they wouldn't be used to launch attacks on targets in Russia.

Photo: Mikhail Metzel/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Monday's world stories